Overall meaning : After telling part of the remarkable story of Zechariah and Yahya (John), peace be upon them, and the amazing incidents it contains, Allah Almighty proceeds to mention an even more remarkable and wonderful story, namely, the story of Maryam (Mary) and the miraculous birth of her son ‘Eesaa (Jesus), peace be upon them: Relate, Muhammad, in this Qur’an the story of Mary, as she withdrew from her family to an eastern place, where she kept herself in seclusion, screening herself from her family and people so that she could devote herself solely to worship. Then We sent Gabriel to her, who appeared before her in the form of a handsome, well-proportioned man. Mary exclaimed, ‘I seek refuge from you with the All-Compassionate God! Leave me alone, then, if you truly obey what Allah commands and avoid what He forbids.’ He replied, ‘I am only a messenger of your Lord, who has sent me to give you, by His command and power, a pure son.’ ‘How can I possibly bear a child,’ she said, ‘when no man has ever touched me through marriage, nor have I ever been a loose woman?!’ ‘What you have said is absolutely true,’ the angel said, ‘but your Lord says: Creating a child from you without a father is easy for Me to do. We will create him in this way to be a sign for people of Allah’s power and a mercy from us to you and to people. This matter has already been decreed.’